As It Goes
by twifantasy
Summary: Jennifer Uley knew her fate. She had kept the secret her whole life. When she changes, she is hardly less than shocked. But when Liam changes with her, and they imprint, she realized they have a chance at something amazing. Sequel to Patches of Blue, How to Deal, That Girl, Bet Me, and Leah's Happily Ever After, but can also be read separately.
1. Chapter 1

As It Goes

**CHAPTER ONE**

When my father was eighteen years old, his life changed forever. As a young man, Sam Uley exploded out of his skin and turned into a werewolf. A few months after he married my mother, I was born. My name is Jennifer Uley, and I am part of a new generation of werewolves.

There have been many changes in La Push. The 'original' wolf pack had nearly doubled in size. After Nessie was born, the Cullens had been through a major encounter with the Volturi. At that time, there had been a major outbreak of wolves on the La Push reservation. The names of the wolves were Caleb, Jeremy, Matt, Lucas, Nathan, Kyle, and Wyatt. About six months later, a new and very different kind of wolf emerged. His name was Joel Marquie. Joel is different because he changed at the age of twenty-one, and not when he was a teenager. He was late because Jacob's dad's younger brother had been his father. Joel had never met his father, seeing as he died before he even knew the girl was pregnant. Joel had grown up not knowing any of his father's family, and none of his father's family knowing about him. Now this is where it gets really weird. Leah Clearwater imprinted upon him at the same moment that Joel imprinted upon her. It was the first time that this had happened, but certainly not the last. Joel and Leah were now married with four kids; Nicholas Sam, Alexis Jane, Cole Andrew, and Paige Olivia. My parents had four children as well. I was the oldest, Jennifer Rose. My younger siblings were Brandon Michael, Allison Grace, and Ryan Joel.

All of us Marquie and Uley kids were born at the same time. Nick Marquie was the same age as me, and we had been best friends our entire life. That is, until recent. A few months ago, Nick had turned into a wolf right in front of my eyes. He was the first of this new generation. I was the one who had made him mad, and like my mother before me, I had a scar that went from my wrist to my bicep from where Nick had scratched me. I had forgiven Nick, but he never really had. Just a few weeks after that, Nick had imprinted on a little girl named Zemati. Zemati was a human-vampire half breed. Her family was from Dapoli, India, and had searched for and found the Cullens when they realized that her mother was pregnant. Her mother's name is Amari, and her father's name is Sanjiv. They have four other members of their clan; Jai, Selena, Kahini, and Mayur. Jai and Selena had first started their clan, and the others had slowly adjusted to lifestyle that Carlisle had created. After Nick had phased, my father, Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil, Joel, Leah, Collin, Seth, Brooke, Lauren, Kaylie, Collin, and Brady had all stopped phasing. There was no need for them anymore. Jacob and Bryce would never stop. They couldn't leave Nessie and Eila like that. I guess that meant that Nick would never stop either.

But that's just the beginning of all of the changes in La Push. There was also another new wolf in town. Her name is Brooke. She is Jared's little sister, and had changed when she was sixteen. She and Embry had imprinted upon each other, in the same way that Leah and Joel had. Brooke had given birth to twins seven years ago. Brooke and Embry had named their babies Madison Grace and Marcus John. They had just recently had another child, named Bridgette. Rachel and Paul had a son named Joshua Kyle, and their older daughter was named Kristen Skye. Kim and Jared had a daughter named Kelsey Renee, and their older son was named David Tyler.

Seth Clearwater had imprinted on a girl named Abbey nine years ago. They were now happily married with twins whose names were Elizabeth Grace and Evan Mitchell. At the same time Bridgette was born, Seth and Abbey also had another daughter named Aubrey. A few months after Brooke had changed, twin girls named Lauren and Kaylie had also changed into wolves. Collin and Brady, the ones who used to be the 'kids' of the pack, had imprinted on these girls. And you guessed it, at the same time that they imprinted on them. Collin and Kaylie had a little girl named Anna Nicole, and Lauren and Brady had a little boy named Tyler Jonathon. Lauren and Brady had also had a child a few months ago, named Sydney. Collin and Kaylie also had a child during that baby spurt, and his name was Mitchell. Lauren and Kaylie also have a younger brother whose name is Bryce. Quil and Claire also had twins named Jason and Jayna.

Now here's where things start to get complicated. Jacob and Nessie had married about four years ago, and they now had a daughter named Eila and a son named Cade. They were both so adorable. We all loved them to death. Bryce, the newest wolf, had imprinted on Eila. Bryce was Lauren and Kaylie's younger brother. Jacob called in karma, but I knew it must be a little awkward to have Bryce imprint on his daughter.

If this wasn't enough, there was still more to come. Just a few months after the Cullens left Forks; the wolf world in La Push had been shaken up and almost destroyed. One night, my Dad had found something mysterious in the woods. It had been a pair of bare human footprints just suddenly disappearing. Sam hadn't recognized the scent of these footprints, and had immediately called the rest of the wolves. They were gone for several hours, and Nessie eventually got worried and called Julia. Julia is a newer member of the Cullen clan. She is married to Connor, whom the Cullens changed when I was just a baby. Connor had fallen in love with Julia when she was still human, and they had married, and then changed Julia. You see, Julia has the talent of being able to find people. They work sort of like Alice's visions, only she can see all types of people, including werewolves. Julia had searched for the wolves, and had found them.

What she saw was horrendous. They had all been viciously attacked, and were left broken, bruised, and bleeding. We hadn't known much then, but in the months that had followed that, we soon discovered more about these disappearing footprints. You see, the things that had attacked the wolves had been large, super natural eagles. This was all that the wolves had been able to capture about these things while they had been being attacked. But with this bit of information, we had set to work.

It had taken several weeks and almost nonstop work to finally reach a conclusion about these things, but the Cullens had found a legend concerning people that turned into eagles. The Achomawi Indians of Southern Oregon were the only culture that we could find that had a legend remotely relating to humans shape-shifting.

After a series of certain events, the leader of these eagles had come into our presence. He had explained to us about how he had been excluded from his family, and practically exiled from his community. The only reservation for Achomawi Indians was called Alturas, and was located near the Oregon state border in Northeastern California. Their leader's name was Dan, and he had told all the wolves about how he had ordered the others to attack out of pure fear, and intimidation; I had been inside with all of the wolves' kids. He was afraid of the wolves. He had apologized, and begged for their forgiveness.

Being the people that they were, not only had the wolves forgiven the eagles almost immediately, they had asked Dan to tell them about the rest of the eagles. Dan explained to them about how some of the eagles were very close to losing themselves. When you stayed eagles for as long as they did, he told us, it was sometimes hard to remember that somewhere inside of you was a real person. He told the wolves that there were about eight girls, and ten guys. After about an hour of talking with Dan, Sam had asked him to bring the rest of the eagles back to meet them. Sam had known that these people had nowhere to go, and Sam wasn't the type of guy who just let someone who needed help walk away.

After much arguing, Dan had agreed to bring the others back. Dan was feeling pretty guilty about his conscience at that time, and I had known that he must feel very undeserving of this act of generosity. No matter what he felt though, about an hour later, there were eighteen young men and woman standing in front of us.

That's when all hell broke loose. The weirdest of the weird things had happened. Caleb, Jeremy, Matt, Lucas, Nathan, Kyle, and Wyatt had imprinted on Mikayla, Natalie, Jocelyn, Amber, Kaitlyn, Nicole, and Ashley, the eagle girls. _I_ almost couldn't believe it. But that wasn't the end of all of the craziness. The very next day, the oldest eagle girl, Lyssie, had imprinted on a brand new eagle named Michael. Michael was much like Joel in his genes at least, seeing as he was Dan's younger cousin. Just like Joel was Jacob's older cousin.

Also, some of the wolves and eagles who had imprinted on each other had had children about three years ago. Caleb and Mikayla had a son named Derek James. Jeremy and Natalie had a beautiful daughter named Alaina May. Matt and Jocelyn had a son named Christopher Phillip, and Lucas and Amber had a daughter named Miley Anne. Lyssie and Michael also had twins named Jon Kevin and Jayde Christine, and just recently, a son named Noah. The youngest of the wolf/eagle imprints had been married about a year ago. Nathan and Kaitlyn had a son named Andrew, Kyle and Nicole had a son named Logan, and Wyatt and Ashley had Mackenzie.

So all together, the eagles were Dan, Adam, Ricky, Landon, Scott, Alex, Brian, Robert, Corey, Justin, Michael, Lyssie, Mikayla, Natalie, Jocelyn, Amber, Kaitlyn, Nicole, and Ashley.

The Cullens had expanded in numbers as well. They had Connor and Julia, as well as other vampires named Andrea and Zach. Zach and Andrea had been part of a newborn army that had attacked the Cullens a few years after I was born, and Zach and Andrea had refused to fight. They were traumatized when the Cullens got them, but had since become very responsible at their lifestyle. Andrea was currently in med school, and Zach in college majoring in Electrical Engineering.

As for me, I was feeling pretty lonely these days. Even with all of these people around me, I still missed my best friend. Nick had been spending most of his time with Zemati, and had seemed to forget about me a little. I had my friends from school, but school just wasn't the same with Nick missing all the time. It was our first year being with the High Schoolers, and I didn't even know how to learn without Nick. I felt like I'd lost my best friend.

November was freezing in La Push, but after last bell on Friday, I got my raincoat and umbrella and trooped outside. I walked to the door the elementary school kids came out of, and waited for my cousins. I was in charge of making sure everyone got home everyday now that I was in High School. Nick was originally supposed to help me, but he was gone today to God knows where.

This year, Brandon, Alexis, Kristin, and David were in seventh grade; Allison, Joshua, Kelsey, Madison, Marcus, and Cole were in fifth; Eila was in fourth; Ryan and Paige were in third; Elizabeth, Evan, Anna, and Tyler (born just after the cutoff date), were in second; Cade was in first; and Derek, Alaina, Christopher, Miley, Jon, and Jayde were in kindergarten.

Eila, though truly younger than both Ryan and Paige, was actually a year ahead of them in school. Eila began school just a few months after her second birthday, as did Cade. They entered their first years of preschool with kids who were a year older than them, but most definitely not smarter. Nessie had been allowed to start them only with special permission from the school. It helped that the principle of the school was Lauren and Kaylie's mom, and after a short meeting with the school board and a series of questions asked of Eila and Cade, they had accepted them without a problem. Eila's and Cade's rapid aging had slowed down drastically after their third birthdays, and now Eila's aging was at a normal pace. Cade's was still a bit above average, but it wouldn't be for much longer. Their learning though was noticeably faster, and I knew that Nessie and Jacob had had to explain to them why they had to pretend to learn a little more slowly than they actually were. Just like all of the pack children, Eila and Cade knew the secret, and knew the importance of keeping that secret. Just like I had all my life.

As all of the littles started filing out of the elementary school door, I stood there and waited for them to congregate around me. The middle schoolers could obviously walk themselves home, but it was easier for me to have everyone there so we could use the buddy system. We had it organized so that almost all of the younger kids had an older kid to walk with. The walk was noisy with all of the kids, but we made it. It started to rain harder as I finally got Eila and Cade home. My house was just across the street from theirs, so my siblings and I took off at a dead sprint for our house. I could outrun all of them, even with Brandon catching up to me in height.

The house was empty when we got in; my parents were at work. My dad had been taking classes online, but was currently being paid as a historian for the tribe. He was writing a book on all of the information our tribe was in danger of losing. The Quileute language was close to extinction. I spoke more Quileute than anyone my age and I was barely functional with it.

I shook myself off at the door and stripped off my parka and rain boots. I hung my coat on the hook near the door and went into my room. I put my bag on the floor near my bed, and flopped myself down. Allison came in not too far behind me.

"What's wrong sissy?" she asked me.

I sighed. "I'm just tired," I told her. I was grateful that my teachers hadn't given us much homework over the weekend. My head hurt, and I felt really warm. I asked Alli to turn on the fan as she walked out, but the blades barely gave me relief.

I fell asleep at some point, and I woke up to my mother. She was stroking my hair. I opened my eyes warily, and was stunned by how awful I felt.

"What's wrong Jen?" My mother asked.

"I'm hot," I said.

"I can tell," my mother said, and something in her expression changed. "Just sit tight," she told me.

I fell back asleep almost immediately, and next I awoke to my father, mother, and Jacob. I cringed at the light, and felt a flicker of anger at all of them staring at me.

"Brandon," Jacob called out of my bedroom door. His voice hurt my ears, and I felt another flicker of anger. "Take your brother and sister to my house. Nessie will feed you dinner."

I didn't hear my siblings. They probably weren't even here. I was positive Jacob was just talking to hurt my ears. I saw my father push my mother near the door, and the fear in her eyes ticked me off even more.

Jacob looked at me, and I was a goner.

I felt like I was exploding. I was so angry at everything. I couldn't understand why everyone was giving me so much attention. I hated attention.

I was suddenly rolling off of my bed. I tried to grab something, but my hands were too big for my body. I looked down, and saw with terror that my hands were gone. They were paws, and I was breathing funny. I looked toward the door, and my mother was behind my father, barely able to see me. She had tears in her eyes. I got angry with her for crying.

I stumbled out the open door, and my parents moved out of my way. Jacob was in front of me, and he held the back door open for me. The cool night air felt good on my face, and I hurdled myself into my backyard.

I knew what was going on, but I couldn't believe how helpless I felt. I felt better now than I had as a human, and faintly wondered what color I was. My legs were a dark black, just like my fathers had been. I pushed myself into the woods that my backyard morphed into, and ran around at a slow trot. I was waiting for what I knew would come next, and soon enough, it did.

Jacob's voice was suddenly in my head, and I stopped running.

_I cannot believe that just happened_, Jacob thought.

His shock made me almost laugh, and I realized that I wasn't as angry as I had been a few minutes ago.

_Me neither_, I thought back. _I suppose we should have seen it coming though_.

_You are very calm_, Jacob thought. _Just like your father, actually. _

_So I've been told, _I said.

_So_, Jacob thought. _I was the one who was supposed to be on patrol tonight, but your dad got ahold of me as soon as he saw how sick you were. So, it's just me and you out here kid. I can get everyone else out here now, or I can teach you how to phase back and then do it. It's up to you._

I pictured myself naked in front of men who had watched me grow up. Jacob ignored that mental image

_I'll call them now_, he thought.

I agreed with him mentally. I was really shaken up, and I knew things were about to get a lot more hectic. Standing there, freaked out beyond belief, I had the greatest respect for my father. He hadn't had anyone to go through this with. I respected him more now than ever before.

Jacob sat onto his haunches and howled loudly. Something inside of me stirred, and I realized that it was my instinct to run to him. I came closer, and I was standing right behind him as a flood of voices filled my head.

Nick was easy to pick out. His voice and thought process were familiar to me. Everyone else was more difficult to distinguish, but it wasn't long before they all figured out what was going on. I realized with a start that I was the only girl, and my life was going to get a lot more awkward very quickly.

_You got that right_, Caleb thought.

I cringed at how much they were in my head, but shook it off. This was going to be the new normal. I would get used to it.

_That's exactly right_, Jacob thought confidently. _This won't even seem weird to you after a while._

_I know_, I thought.

_Welcome to the party Jen_, Wyatt thought.

I laughed, and it came out as a bark. _I can always count on you to make things funnier Wyatt,_ I thought.

_You know it_, Wyatt thought.

_We're basically just being total bosses out here_, Nathan thought.

I thought back to my family, and thought of my mother's face. _She was scared_, I thought more consciously.

_Of course she was_, Nick thought.

I turned my big wolf head to him.

_She knows what can happen when a wolf first changes, now doesn't she?_ Nick was clearly being hard on himself again.

_You know_, I thought. _Someday, you will forgive yourself. I forgave you a long time ago._

_I know_, Nick thought.

_Damn, shit just got real_, Bryce thought.

_Wow,_ Nick said.

_So_, Jacob thought. _How are you feeling Jenny_?

_Freaked out like nobody's business_, I thought. _It all happened so suddenly…. I just thought I might have some kind of warning. _

_Well, _Jacob said, _you're doing a hell of a lot better than any of us weirdos out here did. Wyatt was insane._

_I ran around in circles chasing my tail, _Wyatt recalled.

_Oh my_, was all I could come up with.

_That was exactly how I reacted, _Jacob thought. _You ready to change back you think Jen? Your dad's probably itching to know all about it._

He was probably right. In some ways, I was probably making my dad proud. Even though this wasn't the best thing that could have happened to me, I was continuing a legacy that would likely last forever. I was now a part of something much bigger than myself. This was no time to be selfish.

_You're very wise, _Jacob thought.

I turned my big wolf toward him. _This is my life. This is the only life I've ever had, and the only life I will ever have. I knew this would happen to me someday… It's in all honesty more surreal to me than it is scary. I've had dreams about this happening… I've seen it happen to a lot of people very close to me. You would have felt the same way I do if you were in my shoes._

_Maybe,_ Jacob thought. _You ready to get back to being human?_

_Yes,_ I thought immediately.

_We'll leave you to it Jake, _Kyle thought.

Soon, the voices in my head were quieter. Jacob and I stood alone facing each other, and I mentally prepared myself for what I was going to have to do soon.

_Alright, _Jacob said. _I'll turn around as soon as you start to phase back, and you can put on my sweatshirt then. You should be swimming in it. After that… Well, you can either go home, or crash on my couch tonight. Or, you can stay with the eagles. I understand if you don't want to go home…. It can feel like your endangering your family. But, if you would feel more comfortable at home, I understand that too._

_I want to see my dad, _I told Jacob._ But I don't know after that._

_Well, you're welcome anywhere. But for now, just relax. Remain calm. Take a deep breath. Visualize what you want your body to do. Remain calm…_

His voice faded away, and I realized I was human again. I felt the wet, mushy ground underneath me, and sat up slowly. Everything was clearer through these werewolf eyes, and I could hear from much farther away. It was like seeing everything through a telescope. It was a little disorienting, but I liked the control I had over my senses.

Jacob had disappeared into the woods, and his sweatshirt was laying on the ground at my feet. I put it on, and it fell past my knees.

"Are you good?" he called to me.

"Yes," I said. I looked down at my body, somehow expecting it to look different. It looked normal to me, but I felt stronger; like I could pick up a boulder and throw it.

"Alright," he said as he came out of the trees. "How do you feel?"

"Strong," I said.

"Good," he stated confidently. "That's how you're supposed to feel." He looked up into the rain. "Where do you want to go tonight?"

"I want to talk to my dad," I said, and I heard a little waver in my voice. I felt very alone, and my dad always understood me best.

"Of course you do," Jacob said, ignoring the emotion in my voice. "I'll walk you there."

"Okay." I had never been much of a talker. My sister could outtalk me any day, and my cousin Alexis could outtalk the both of us. I kept things to myself a lot. I used to tell Nick, but now even he was distant. We were growing apart, and I didn't like it.

"You know Jenny," Jacob said, breaking the silence. "You have known all of us for most of your life, but things are a little different now. You are part of the pack. It's like a family within a family. We have no secrets, and a no judgment rule. You can talk to any one of us whenever you want, and tell us anything you want. Trust me, there is nothing you can do or say that will surprise us, or at least me, at this point. I think I've seen it all."

I laughed a little. "Well," I said. "I don't think I have much of a choice as to what you guys will know."

"True," Jacob said. "But you have to keep a sense of identity. If you don't want us to know something but we do anyway, we won't comment on it."

"I see," I said. We were back at my house at this point, and I could see my parents through the back door. We trooped up through my backyard, and my father stood to slide the glass door open for us. I shook myself off before walking into the house, but was still covered in mud.

"Fancy meeting you here," Jacob said to my father as he preceded me into the house.

"In my own house?" My father said. "Very fancy."

I met my father's eyes, and I felt a connection form between us at that moment. He understood. He want's judging me. I wasn't going to be different in his eyes. This one point of normalcy made the entire night seem like less of an event. I was exceptionally grateful for the fact that I wasn't alone, like my father had been. I had a huge family to support me, and I was going to be fine.

"Hello," my father said.

"Hi," I said back monotonously.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Well sure," I said. "But I am pretty hungry."

He chuckled once. "I'm sure you are."

I looked at the clock, and realized it was two am.

My mother looked tired, and for the first time in my life, I saw that she was aging. "I'll make you something," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," I said.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, wondering about how much was going to change. I didn't want to think about it. My father and Jacob were talking about me, but I wasn't listening. I was very tired, and the smell of whatever my mother was making for me made my mouth water.

Soon, Jacob left, and it was just me and my parents in the house. My mother put down a plate of fried chicken in front of me, and I was shocked at how hungry I was. I picked up the chicken and reminded myself to have manners, even though I wanted to just shove it all in my face. I recognized that it must have been hot, but I couldn't feel the warmth anymore.

"Thank you," I said after I swallowed. "This is really good."

"It's easy to make," my mother said.

I finished the plate, and then sighed. I put my head in my hands. "My life just got really weird."

They didn't laugh, even though I thought it was kind of funny. "You're life has always been weird," my dad said. "You just didn't know it."

"Mm," I said as I jerked my head. "This is true." I yawned.

"You should probably get some sleep," my mother said.

"Yeah," I said. I considered the night's events. "I'm sorry I got so mad at everyone," I said.

My mom smiled. "Aw that's okay. We're easy to get pissed off at."

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "Thanks for waiting up," I said as I made my way to my bedroom.

"Right, because we totally could have gone to sleep after that," my dad said.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

I was exhausted, and felt pretty gross. I stripped Jacob's sweatshirt off, and brushed out my shoulder-length hair. I saw myself in the full length mirror on the back of my door, and barely recognized myself.

I looked fierce.

My muscles were suddenly defined. I looked strong, and felt powerful. I wasn't any taller, but I felt like I could jump through the roof. I turned around and looked at myself from all angles.

I looked hot.

I smirked to myself. I suppose this was one advantage of suddenly exploding into a wolf. Maybe now the boys would be all over me.

That thought stopped me dead in my tracks.

I knew I couldn't date. Not after what had happened to my father. He had put Leah through a hell storm. I didn't even want to think about what pain I could cause. I had seen firsthand what had happened to my best friend when he imprinted, and I couldn't even imagine if that had happened to someone I felt more deeply about.

There was one boy, but I had always been too shy to talk to him. His name was Liam Kite, and he had been attending the tribal school with me since we were in preschool. He was drop dead gorgeous, and all the girls loved him. I was just one of those girls. I had been assigned to work on a quarter project with him a few weeks ago, and since then, I had grown to like him even more. He was a hard worker, and very smart.

I sighed wistfully at the thought of him, and felt an overwhelming urge to see him. I shook my head, and knew that there was no point even having those feelings anymore. They could be taken away from me in a split second.

I could hear the outdoors perfectly, even all tucked into my bed like I was. I was asleep almost instantly.

I awoke with a start, and was shocked to realize it was only five am. I heard a loud wolf howl from what sounded like literally ten yards behind my house, and was suddenly wide awake. I almost ripped the door off its hinges as I raced out of my bedroom and through the back door. Some unbeknownst part of my head reminded me to take my clothes off, and somehow I managed to get them off and drop them there in the woods.

In the next second I was flying, and so confused. It felt like there were a million voices in my head, even though there really were only about ten.

_Would you all shut up? _Jacob thought. He sounded irritated.

I wasn't sure how to silence my thoughts, so I tried to focus on Jacob's. That would probably be best.

_Atta girl, _Jacob thought. _You see, Jenny isn't retarded like the rest of you._

_Screw you_ I heard several of them think at the same time. I chuckled, and it sounded like a bark.

_Alright_ Jacob thought. I could picture where he was standing, and hear the wolves I was near. I followed my instincts, and found Jacob. _So yeah, there's another new wolf _Jacob thought.

What in the hell.

A few of the others laughed at my reaction. _My thoughts exactly, _Lucas thought.

_His name is Liam Kite_, Jacob thought.

My heart fluttered, and I smiled at the thought of him.

_Stop that Jenny that's awkward, _Nick thought.

_Go screw yourself,_ I told him.

_I'm so glad the two of you get along so well, _Jacob thought.

_Mm, _we thought in unison.

_Anyway_, Jacob continued. _He's fourteen. He's freaking out. And in all honesty, so am I, because I can't figure out how the hell this kid is related to us._

_It could be anything, _Nathan thought. _We'll figure it out eventually. He does have Quileute parents?_

_He has a Quileute mom,_ Jacob thought. _She's about two years younger than me in school. She got pregnant when she was like sixteen. Do any of you remember her? _

_Nope, _Nick and I thought at the same time. The other's had varying reactions.

_Wasn't she in Collin and Brady's year?_ Caleb asked.

_I think so,_ Jacob said.

_I remember my sister's gossiping about her, _Bryce said. _If I remember correctly, she never told anyone who the father was._

_I remember that part, _Matt said. _It caused quite the soap opera._

_Yep, _Jacob said. _Anyhow, I got him calmed down enough to phase back. He's sitting in his backyard right now. I was thinking we could all phase back and then go get him._

I subconsciously took a step backward.

_Let's meet back here and we will all walk back over together,_ Jacob concluded.

I didn't wait for further instruction. I was already racing back to where I had left my clothes. I focused on calming down, and soon was in the comfort of my own thoughts. I pulled on the pajamas I had raced out in. Fortunately, they were decent. It was a pair of spandex shorts and a tank top. I was really hot, so they seemed appropriate for the night.

Even in my bare feet and human form, I was fast. I got back to meeting place last, but they didn't seem to have been waiting for long.

"Sorry," I said.

"No big deal," Jacob said. "I'll get you something so that you can tie your clothes to your leg next time."

"Perfect," I said.

Jacob led the way through the woods to Liam's house. I knew where it was, but I had never been of course. I had to jog to keep up with the boys' long legs, but I didn't mind. I was going to be spending _lots_ of time with Liam. I tried to stop the feelings bubbling within me, but I just couldn't shake them.

Jacob pushed through the last group of trees, and I looked for Liam. He was sitting on the ground with his knees pulled up to his chest.

His head jerked up when he heard us, and his eyes scanned us. They paused for just a second on Nick, and then locked with mine.

His eyes widened, and I felt like I'd just been punched in the gut.

Everything went dark.

I felt something cold on my head. The ground underneath me had changed, and I realized that I was in a bed.

Liam.

Where was he? What happened? I had to know if he was okay.

"She's coming to you guys," I heard Liam say. I _knew_ it was him.

My eyes flew open, and I jerked my head towards him.

Our eyes locked, and I felt like I was drifting up.

Jacob came into the room, and behind him was Ashley, the youngest eagle. I took notice of the room around me, and realized that I was in the big white house that used to be the Cullen's. It was now owned and lived in by the eagles who were men. The women all lived with their husbands on the reservation. I wondered why Ashley was here, and not at home with her baby.

I started to sit up, and Liam touched my shoulder and pushed me back down.

"Just stay down for now Jenny," Jacob said. I was still staring at Liam like a total freak, but he was staring at me too.

With sudden clarity, I knew what had happened.

I had imprinted on Liam. _Imprinted._ As a brand new wolf. Well, I wasn't the first.

I ripped my eyes from Liam's, and looked at Jacob. "I imprinted on him, didn't I?"

Jacob chuckled once. "Well, you tell me Jenny."

I just nodded, and then looked back at Liam.

"I'm really confused," he said. "But from what I've been told in the last hour, I'm pretty sure I imprinted on you too. Actually, I know I did. I'm sorry if this is creeping you out. I'm really scared."

I chuckled at his lack of focus. He was very doglike. "That's alright. I'm scared too." I looked at Ashley. "Why are you here?" I asked her.

"Wyatt's on patrol," she said. "So I thought I would bring Mackenzie over to see her uncles. They haven't seen her in about a week."

Now that I listened, I could hear the quiet sounds of a little baby. I looked at Jacob again, my brain turning very slowly. "Why am I here?"

"Well," Jacob said. "You passed out. And then you smacked your head on a rock. And we waited about ten minutes for you to wake up, trying to explain everything to Liam. When you still hadn't woken up, I texted Carlisle and he told me to get you inside and put something cold on your head. So, here we are."

My head didn't hurt at all. This rapid healing thing could work out nicely.

"Huh," I said. "Alright then."

"Yep," Jacob said. "I'm going to let you guys talk it out. You know each other, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "Or we will."

He smiled. "Make wise choices." He followed Ashley out, and shut the door behind him.

"So," Liam said. "Tell me about yourself. Tell me… everything."

I smiled. "Well, that'll be a whole lot easier now that you know about the wolf gene and all."

He laughed. "Yeah…"

For the next eight hours, we literally just sat there and talked. At some point, he climbed up onto the bed with me, and folded his arms. I had finally sat up, with fortunately no pain. It wasn't until Jacob knocked on the door that we finally shut up.

"Are you guys really still here?" He asked.

"Apparently," I said. "Where did you go?"

"I went home," he said. "And I took a nap with Cade. It was glorious."

"Hm," I said. "I suppose we should both go home."

"Yeah," Jacob said. "I have to talk to your mom though, Liam. And you need to talk to your parents Jen. They'll want to know where you've been all day."

I looked down and then quickly looked back up. "They'll understand."

"Of course," Jacob said. "Your father will without a doubt."

I took a deep breath and stretched as I stood up. I was still in my pajamas. Thank God they were remotely attractive.

"Oh," Jacob said. "We are having a meeting at eleven o'clock tonight. Just follow your noses to the spot, but we are going to meet in human form. It'll be more productive that way."

"Alright," Liam and I said at the same time.

We got up, and said goodbye to the eagles. Jacob offered us a ride home, and we gratefully took it. I felt like I was having my heart ripped out as I got out of the car, leaving Liam. Yet, I knew that I would be seeing him soon. It was already five o'clock, and I could smell my mother cooking dinner. My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten anything since last night.

I walked into my house, and my mother looked relieved to see me. My father did as well, which surprised me a little bit.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi," My mom said. "What have you been up to all day?"

I could tell that they were both dying to know. I took a seat at our kitchen table, and made sure my brothers and sister were distracted. This was something I wanted to be able to tell my parents by myself.

"Well," I said. "There was a new wolf today. His name is Liam Kite." I took a deep breath, and from my father's expression, I think he knew what I was going to say before I said it. "And we imprinted on each other."

My mother kept cooking dinner, without even pausing. My dad put the paper down, and leaned against the counter. He folded his arms.

"Kite you said? Isn't his mother the one who-"

"Yes," I said. "She is Collin and Brady's age. You probably remember her."

"Of course," my mother said.

"I wonder how that kid got the wolf gene," my dad said.

"We haven't figured it out yet," I said. "But Jacob is talking to his mom right now. I'm sure they are working on it."

"Huh," my dad said. "Maybe it's from his dad's side. I don't think she ever told anyone who his father is."

"I don't think she did either," I said. "He didn't mention anything about a father today anyways."

"Well," my mother said. "Dinner is ready. Can you get your siblings please?"

"Yes," I said. I stood up, and looked across the room at them. "Thanks for not making this into a huge deal."

My dad smiled. "It's just another day, right? It's not like you asked for this to happen."

"No," I said. I smiled. "But I think I'm glad it did."

"That's good," my dad said. "I think you'll find yourself to be very happy."

"I know I will," I said without hesitating. I went and got my brothers and sister, and realized this was the first time I had seen them since I had changed. I knew Brandon and Allison understood what had happened, but I wasn't sure about Ryan. He was only eight. He was exactly like my father.

Dinner that night was very normal. I was more grateful for that than I could describe. Although, I kept thinking about Liam. I was distracted by his memory, and could smell him on my clothes. It was extremely disconcerting. After dinner, I rethought about my homework situation for the weekend, making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Fortunately, the reservation school didn't give that much homework. The classes were so small that we had a lot of time in class for individual attention and homework. I was one of the smartest in my class, so I usually soared head and shoulders above the other students. I was smart, and not ashamed of it. Liam was easily my rival in class. He always had been. That's why we were assigned to do that project together earlier this year. Nick wasn't far behind us. He was smart like his mom, and had more common sense than anyone could ever ask for.

I finished all of my homework by eight o'clock, and managed to catch a few hours of sleep before eleven. My head was spinning from all of the day's events, so sleeping was more difficult than it should have been, considering how tired I was.

I woke up extremely quickly when my alarm went off, and heard Allison stir as I walked out of our bedroom. Hopefully she would go back to sleep. My father was still up watching TV.

"Have fun," he told me, even though he had no idea where I was going.

I smiled. "I will."

I got outside and took my clothes off. Jacob had given me a leather cord on the car ride home today, and I quickly rolled my outfit together and secured it to my leg. I found getting angry more difficult this time. I was still ecstatic about Liam. Yet, I focused hard enough, and soon I was flying. I was a dark black wolf, just like my father had been. Yet, I was much smaller than I remembered him being as a wolf. I had only seen him like that a handful of times, but those memories were seared into the back of my brain now.

The other voices were in my head, and I picked out Liam's immediately. He picked out mine too. That was nice.

_Jenny you're a freak_, Nick thought.

_Wow I'm glad you're so mature,_ I thought back. _And look who's talking. Pedophile._

_ Jeez, thanks for that, that makes me feel really good about myself._

_ Right, because that was totally my intention._

_ This is so fun, _Matt thought.

_Leah and I used to fight the exact same way,_ Jacob thought.

_But you two are like best friends,_ Caleb continued.

_Oh, but we weren't, _Jacob thought. _Not before Nessie. And not even really long before Joel. We were both pretty troubled for a while there. _I got a mental image of Bella, back when she was human. Then I saw Leah, looking younger than I could ever remember. _That was about four lifetimes ago, _Jacob thought.

_That was right before we changed…_ Lucas trailed off.

I noticed voices were disappearing, and realized that they were going back into human form. We were close to our meeting place. I began to phase back, and noticed that the last thing I heard was Liam being completely freaked out. I was still chuckling as I became human.

I untied the clothes from my leg and got dressed. I was fortunately not very large busted, just like my mother. I could get away with wearing built in bras for now. I pulled on a green camisole and some spandex shorts that I wore for running. I didn't care what I looked like. I was going to see Liam…

I burst through the trees and was only last by a few seconds. Liam had taken awhile to calm down. He was standing there in black athletic shorts, and I only took a second to admire his strong physique. Focus, I told myself.

"Sorry," I said.

"You're good," Jacob said. "You'd have to try to be slower than Brooke was. That woman took forever."

I laughed. "Hey now, girls will be girls."

"Yeah," Jacob said. "And she made up for it in her obnoxious ability to be laid back all the time. I swear the world could be ending and she'd just be like 'Eh, no worries.'"

"Do you miss them?" I asked Jacob.

"Who?" he asked. "The others?" I nodded. "Yes," he said. "All the time." He shook his head. "The whole dynamic changed. Everyone was so good at what they were assigned to do, and then suddenly, everyone was gone. Everyone I went through this with has disappeared. No one here knows who I was before Nessie was born. It was like losing my best friends, even though they all still live only about a block from my house."

"I'm sorry," I told him, thinking about how much older he was than me. "You must feel like a babysitter."

"I thought I would, considering I did babysit you and Nick as babies," he said. Nick and I laughed, remembering the good times we would have. "But I really don't. There is a connection between all of us, and it makes me seem younger, and you seem older. There is a gap in maturity and responsibility level, but it's not bad for the pack. This is kind of how it always was, even when your dad was in charge of most of us." Jacob stopped and sucked in a breath.

"Are you done now?" Nathan asked. "Jeez you go on rants sometimes."

"Shut up," Jacob said. "And yes, I am done now. Maybe I was just waiting for someone to ask."

"_Apparently_," Nathan said sarcastically.

"I'm glad I asked," I said. "It's good to talk about your feelings."

"Don't be such a girl," Nick said to me.

"You know what Nick, I'm going to make an effort to be even more feminine now," I told him. "Because God forbid I be the human I was born to be."

"Lay off of her," Kyle told Nick. "It's better that way."

Wyatt laughed. "If the woman isn't happy, no one is happy."

I chuckled. "We do have that way about us." I looked at Liam. "You are being awfully quiet."

He smiled. "I have no idea what to say. I barely know what's going on."

"Did you figure out how he is related to us?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh this is a long one," Jacob said. "But, the good news is, none of our fathers are cheating bastards this time. The wolf gene is from his mother." He took a breath. "We all descend from the great wolf and his third wife. We traced Liam's lineage back to his mother's great-great-great grandmother. We figured out that she is my father's great aunt. We kept going back until we figured out that Liam descends from a daughter of the great wolf, and that he is actually the first male to be alive in a time when the wolves are running. That is why he changed."

"Then why didn't his mother change?" Nick asked, surely thinking of his mom.

"Because at the time that we were all changing," Jacob said. "She was pregnant."

"I thought that didn't matter…" I said.

"Well," Jacob said. "It might if it was the first time she was changing. I was talking to her, and she got really sick, just like the rest of us did. She didn't even know she was pregnant when she was sick, but somehow that prevented her body from changing."

"Wow," Matt said. "You're a freak of nature Liam."

"Uh, I think my mom is the freak of nature actually," he said shyly. He was so cute.

"So yeah," Jacob said. "That was part of what I wanted to talk about tonight. Also, now that we have two more wolves, we get to change the patrol schedule. There will be less patrolling for everyone hopefully."

"More time to party," Wyatt said.

"Or to sleep," Jacob said. "Either way, I still want everyone out here with a buddy. There's a lot of territory to cover."

Jacob used his cell phone to make a schedule. He sent the schedule to all of us. I was running patrol fourteen times a week, just like everyone else. Though, to keep it exciting, we changed what time of day and who we were running it with for each shift. I got to go with Liam twice. I was super pumped about those times. The two of us would be alone inside each other's heads, and I couldn't wait.

"Also, remember that there will always be an eagle flying overhead. They can see more up there," Jacob reminded. Well, we would be almost alone.

"You guys should also know that the Cullens are coming for a visit over Christmas. They will be arriving here late on December nineteenth. They are going to all be staying at my house. They have been away for a while, and I am concerned that it might trigger new wolves to change. If that happens, and you witness it, come and get me immediately."

Kyle yawned, and Jacob noticed. "Are you tired Kyle?"

"No, I'm yawning because I'm hungry," Kyle said sarcastically.

"Mackenzie slept through the night last night," Wyatt said, talking about his daughter.

Kyle laughed sardonically. "Oh no, Logan is nowhere near that."

"Yeah," Wyatt said. "We think we just got lucky."

"My kids slept through the night when they were six weeks old," Jacob said with a smirk.

"Shut up, you married a nine-year-old," Nathan said.

"Oh come on, she was as developed as she'll ever be," Jacob defended.

"Still," Nathan said, holding up his hands.

Jacob flipped him off. "That's all I've got," Jacob said, talking to all of us.

"I've got to pee," Bryce said.

"Thanks for the update," Jacob said. Bryce was already trotting off back to his house.

"You don't say much, do you Liam?" Caleb said.

"No," Liam said. "Not much."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Jacob checked the new patrol schedule, and reminded Jeremy and Nick that they were on for the next hour and a half.

I looked at Liam, and we both turned to walk back together.

"So," I said. "This is my family…"

We both started laughing. "It's my family now too," he pointed out.

"I suppose it is," I said. "There have been a lot of changes to the pack since I was born, but it still seems weird to me that you were part of our family all along."

"It's like being part of a life I didn't even know about," Liam agreed.

I thought about that. "As weird as it is for me to be a part of the pack, it must be even weirder for you. You didn't even know the pack existed."

"Changing was the scariest moment of my life, that's for sure," Liam told me.

"I was scared," I said. "But I knew what was happening."

We were almost to my backyard at this point. I was planning on going in and sleeping until five am, when I was supposed to be running patrol with Caleb. As we reached the line between the trees and my backyard, I turned to Liam. "Thanks for walking me home," I said.

"I wanted to," he told me. After pausing for one second, he opened his arms, and I realized he wanted a hug.

I didn't even hesitate. I walked into his embrace, and let his strong arms swallow my tiny body. He picked me right up off my feet. "Goodnight Jenny," he told me.

"Goodnight Liam, I'll see you tomorrow."

I walked up to my house, and watched him dart across the street. He only lived about a block from my house, and even in the darkness, if I looked between the houses, I could see his front door. When he got to his doorstep, he turned around and looked across the street. We both chuckled when we realized we were staring at each other. I could faintly hear his laugh through the still night. I looked around the reservation for a few moments, and saw a few lights on in my families' houses. I took one last look at Liam, and waved as I went into my house. The house was dark, and I could hear the quiet breathing of my family.

If I listened closely, I thought I could hear my father breathing a little more quickly than my mother. He was awake, but trying to fall asleep. I appreciated that he was at least trying to act like he wasn't worried sick about me. I went into my bedroom and slid into bed. My head spun for a few minutes with thoughts of Liam, but eventually, sleep consumed me.

My alarm went off at five, and I think it only beeped once before I shut it off. I was tired, but not exhausted. I felt like I didn't need as much sleep as I used to, and some part of that was probably true. It was still dark out as I walked into the woods, but I could see clearly. I got my clothes off quickly, and phased after only about a minute. It wasn't long before Caleb's voice was in my head.

_Good morning_, he thought

_Hi,_ I thought back.

_ This is the best day shift,_ Caleb thought. _It's early enough that you don't miss part of the day, and you get to see the sunrise. _

_I suppose this would be the best time to go,_ I thought._ But I am a little tired._

_ You get used to it,_ Caleb told me.

I followed him during the patrol shift, and had no problem memorizing the territory we covered. We mentally talked the whole time. He told me all about Derek, even though I helped bring him home every day after school. He was a happy five year old. Caleb asked me a little bit about Liam, since none of us knew him very well. I told him all I knew, and the thought of him made my head spin. Caleb laughed at my reaction, but told me he understood. Then he thought about Mikayla to prove his point to me. He was in love with that girl, and his feelings for her made my feelings for Liam seem like a silly crush. I was happy to know that someday I would feel as strongly about Liam as Caleb did about Mikayla.

_You will,_ Caleb thought, encouraging my thoughts about the future.

_That makes me really happy, _I thought. Just then, I heard Wyatt's voice in my head, and a second later I recognized Kyle's.

_GO HOME,_ Wyatt thought dramatically. _I HAVE COME TO SET YOU FREE._

_ Jeez, that was dramatic, _Caleb thought.

_You know you love me, _Wyatt thought.

_Only because I have to, _Caleb shot back.

I barked out a laugh. _Well Caleb, _I thought. _ You are a fantastic big brother. And I'm glad I got to run patrol with you for the first time._

_ NO PICKING FAVORITES_, Wyatt thought immediately.

I laughed again, but was already halfway back to my house at that point. I focused on relaxing, and soon felt my paws shrinking, and my back straightening. I quickly dressed myself, and walked through my backyard up to the door. I snuck in quietly, not sure if everyone would still be asleep.

My mom was up, and waved hello to me as I came in. She was busy making coffee.

"Hey," I said quietly. I pointed to the bathroom, and she smiled. I got in the shower a few minutes later, realizing how disgusting I had been. I guess that was another thing that was changing. I didn't feel the desire to shower anymore. I smiled maliciously as I thought about how animalistic that was.

I scrubbed myself clean, and washed my hair. I shaved my legs, knowing that I would probably see Liam today. I _had_ to see Liam today. I got out of the shower and towel dried my hair, putting some lotion on. I wrapped my towel around me and went across the hall to my room.

Allison was just getting up. "Hi," she said.

"Hey Alli," I said.

"Jenny," she said to me. "Where were you?"

I turned around to face her. "I was running patrol," I told her, being completely honest with her.

She blinked. "Is that going to happen to me?" she asked. For the first time in a few years, my sister looked like a child to me.

"It might," I told her.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, and I could tell that she had been thinking about this for a long time.

I smiled a little at her. "Not so much," I said. "You don't have anything to be afraid of."

She looked at her feet. "I'm afraid for you," she said.

My heart melted. I sat on her bed and gave her a hug. "It's okay," I told her. "I'll be okay. I love you Al," I said. She hugged me back tightly.

"Do I get to meet Liam?" she asked.

And in a second she was back to being the little sister I was used to. "Of course," I told her. "Hopefully soon."

"He's so cute," she said, and for one moment, I felt a flicker of anger. I felt my hands start to shake, and stepped away from Allison. I took a deep breath, and she had fear in her brown eyes.

I smiled, coming back to myself. "I know right?"

She smiled too.

After getting dressed, I went out to the kitchen. My dad was up at this point, and so was Ryan. I heard Brandon moving around in his room.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning," my dad said. Ryan continued to work at his fruit loops.

My mother was making herself oatmeal. I took a banana and looked in the pantry for something to eat. I ended up making oatmeal as well. I sat down at the table, and my dad closed the book he was reading. "So," he said. "When do I get to meet this kid?"

I raised my eyebrows at him and held in a laugh at his intimidating father routine. "Well," I said. "I'm not sure. I don't remember when he is supposed to run patrol, but maybe sometime today?"

Just then, my cell phone rang. It was Jacob. "Hold on," I told my father.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi," Jacob said. "I'm calling to make sure that you survived and that Caleb didn't pee on you or something."

I literally laughed loud. "No," I said. "He was great."

"Okay," Jacob said. "Also, the eagles invited anyone who can come over for dinner tonight. Tell your parents, and tell them that they are expected to be there, because I know that you aren't doing anything else."

"This is true," I said. "Okay. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," he said

"Well," my dad said, having heard our conversation. "That'll be a nice time to meet Liam I suppose."

"Yeah," I said, taking a bite of oatmeal. "That works out nicely."

"Who is Liam?" Ryan asked, completely oblivious.

I swallowed my oatmeal considering how to phrase it. "He's my friend," I told him. "You'll like him."

"Does he go to my school?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," I told him. "But he's in my class."

"Oh," Ryan said, turning back to his fruit loops none the wiser.

A couple hours after breakfast, I got another call on my cell phone. This time it was a number I didn't recognize. Immediately though, I recognized the voice on the other end.

"Hello Liam," I said after he spoke.

He laughed. "I was calling to ask you if you were going to be there tonight."

"Of course," I said. "There will be a lot of food, and a lot of family."

"I'm scared," he said.

I laughed. "It won't be that bad," I said. "They all just want to meet you."

"Which is why it's bad," Liam said. "I'm probably going to do something really embarrassing."

I laughed. "It'll be fine. What time are you running patrol?"

"In fifteen minutes," he said. "With Lucas."

"Good luck," I said.

"How'd yours go?" he asked me.

"Fantastic," I told him. "Caleb was really cool."

He paused. "You know," he said. "I'm still really freaked out by all of this."

I sighed. "I don't blame you. It's freaky stuff."

"Will I ever get used to it?" he asked.

"I'm the wrong person to ask," I told him. "This is just my life."

He chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

We talked until he absolutely had to leave, and I hung up smiling.

The rest of the day couldn't pass fast enough. When we were leaving to go over to the big white house, I saw Liam getting in the car with his mom. They would be able to pretty much follow us over there. I sent him a text saying this, and he told me this was probably best, seeing as his mother was worried about getting lost. I informed my dad that they were going to follow us, and I saw Ryan turn around to see out the back window. My brother had not yet mastered the art of being classy.

When we got to the big house, there were already about five other cars. Liam's mother pulled in right next to us, and I got a good look at her. I could see the resemblance between her and her son, but I could also assume that Liam looked a lot more like his father than he did her.

"Hello," my mother said to her as we all piled out of the car.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Jackie."

"Emily," my mother told her, shaking her hand. My brothers and sister were long gone, already in the house.

I smiled at Liam. My father came around the other side of the car. "Hi," he said. "I'm Sam." He also shook Jackie's hand. "It's nice to meet you," he said. "But I think I've seen you around town before."

"I'm sure you have," she said.

"Hi Liam," my dad said. He reached out and shook his hand. "You can call me Sam."

"Hello Sam," he said, with my father's first name sounding only slightly awkward. "It's nice to meet you."

"Let's go inside," my mother said. "I'm sure everyone is anxious to meet the two of you."

_Everyone_ was there. I could hear the number of voices, and it was _loud_. My parents led the way in, and Liam's mother followed. Right before we walked in, I grabbed Liam's hand.

The introductions began immediately. Quil was the first person we saw, chasing around Jayna. Robert was next, and Corey after that. Liam looked relieved when we finally saw Wyatt, someone he actually knew. He did his best not to forget anyone's name, but everyone was very forgiving if he did. I was always surprised at how many people lived in La Push that knew our secret. It scared me sometimes, to know that many people might slip up. But everyone knew the importance of our secret. The hardest part was hiding our numbers. There were so many of us that it was hard to get together like this. Fortunately, we had this house, where no peeking eyes would find us. The Cullens had left more than just Nessie when they moved away.

I spent the whole night at Liam's side. We ate together, we talked some more, and he even played with some of my younger cousins. The babies were about a year old now, and they were adorable. Most of them were fearless with Liam, not even noticing that he wasn't someone they had known their whole life. He couldn't understand a word they said to him in their toddler voices, but they talked to him anyway. Their parents thought it was hilarious.

For a while, most of the adults were in the kitchen talking to Liam's mother. Nick, Liam, and I were told to not let anything happen to the kids. Saying we were outnumbered didn't even cover it. Not including the three of us, there were thirty five kids. Granted, that included all of the older kids. They were more of a help than a hindrance. Liam was great with Aubrey, Seth and Abbey's daughter. She was extremely shy, and didn't want anyone but her siblings (Elizabeth and Evan) when her parents left. Liam eventually pried her off of Evan, who was less than interested in his baby sister, and got her distracted. Although, for the rest of the night, she was attached to him. He was very natural with her, even though I was pretty sure he hadn't had much experience with kids before. I found that extremely attractive.

I could hear what the parents were talking about, and it sounded like they were mostly talking to Jackie. She was really confused about a lot still, and they were walking her through it. Though, after we got a movie started for the kids and they started to fall asleep, they were just in there hanging out and catching up with each other. When someone finally checked on us about eleven, Liam, Nick, and I were on the massive couch with kids all over us. I was dozing on Liam's shoulder, and Nick was sound asleep. Liam had his eyes closed, and his breathing was slow and even.

I had the shut the TV off as soon as the movie was over, and it was dark and quiet. Sitting there, my family all around me, and my head on Liam's shoulder, I had never been more content.

A few minutes later, I felt my mother's cool hand on my shoulder. "Come on," she said. "We're heading home." I noticed that parents were all around me, picking up kids off the floor, and waking up older children. I felt like my heart was exploding as I pulled myself off of Liam's shoulder, but managed to tell him goodnight as we walked back out to the cars with our parents. I would see him tomorrow in school at least. I had to run patrol at five o'clock that night, and I was pretty sure Liam had it right after me at eight. We were running patrol together Tuesday night, in the middle of the night. I was really looking forward to that. I got to spend midnight through three am with the boy of my dreams, and then see him a few hours later in school. I was pretty tired, and was asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow.

The next day at school was interesting. I saw all of my classmates in a whole new light. They seemed so much younger than Liam and I now. We had something that they would never understand. We didn't hold hands or anything in the hallway, but someone was bound to ask if we were together sooner or later. Our whole grade ate lunch together, but Liam sat by me now. I squeezed his hand under the table, and he smiled at me. We both were eating a ton, but his was easily double mine. Nick ate at least as much as Liam. The school day was extremely uneventful, and at last bell, Nick, Liam, and I all walked over to the elementary school.

It didn't take me nearly as long to get everyone home when there were three of us. Nick took one street, I took another, and Liam took the other. We met at the road at the end of the streets, and we walked toward our own homes. It was just my family, Liam, the Blacks, and the Marquies left at this point. I waved at Jacob as he let his kids in the door, and gave Liam's hand a squeeze to tell him goodbye. We both had a little homework, and I had to run patrol at five.

I got home and booked my way through three math problems, a chapter of English, studied my biology, and finished my vocab list for Quileute. They were officially requiring the high schoolers to study it as a foreign language. Right now, most of us knew the basics of it already, but we were reviewing them. The teacher was Abbey's father, but I didn't know him that well. He knew the secret of course, but only as much as any of the Quileute parents did. They had no idea about vampires, or any of the things their children, or in Abbey's case, their children's imprints did. They knew just enough not to be uncomfortable with what was happening, but they would never be in the loop like the rest of us were.

I had time to say a quick hello to my mother before I left to run patrol. She worked as the first and second grade teacher at the school, and wasn't usually home until closer to five. She told me to be safe, and gave me a kiss before I darted out into the drizzle. I knew it was cold, but I didn't feel any of the briskness. I didn't hesitate as ripped my shirt off, and yanked down my shorts. I phased quickly, and was running in an instant.

It turned out that I was running patrol with Jacob. I never realized how much I didn't know about him until I was in his head for that long. He was thinking about how the Cullen's were going to be visiting soon, and how excited he was. I got to see memories he had of Bella when she was human, and what she had looked like. I was shocked to realize that Eila looked like her human grandmother. She had a lot of Edward and Nessie in her too, but her face was Bella's.

_That's the first thing both Edward and I though, _Jacob thought at me. _That she looks just like Bella used to._

He thought way back to when I was first born, and what it had been like as all the wolves sat outside my house waiting to see if Nick and I had been born yet. Everyone was freaking out. I saw people I had known for my whole life looking much younger. I saw a memory of a little girl I thought was Jayna, but with a shock I realized it was Claire. She was only about four years older than I was, but she seemed so much older now that she had her twins. It had been only a year ago that I had been the maid of honor at her wedding. We had seemed so much closer in age then. Though I assumed that in a few years, she wouldn't seem much older again. I would have kids, and she would have kindergarteners. Maybe she would even have another baby the same time as me.

_Things have a way of working back to familiarity, _Jacob thought.

I realized that I really understood a lot now. I could totally relate to how my parents felt about each other, or how any of my family did. I knew how to love, but it seemed dull now that I felt what it was like to imprint. My thoughts drifted to Liam, and how much I cared about him. He was perfect. In my eyes, he could do no wrong. I thought about his eyes, and his how strong his arms were…

_Good Lord Jenny, _Jacob thought.

_Sorry,_ I told him. _But it's not like it's never happened to you._

I was nowhere near Jacob on the patrol route, but I heard him mentally chuckle. _I suppose you're right,_ Jacob thought._ Just make sure you make wise decisions. You never know what could happen._

_Are you giving me a sex talk right now?_

_ Yes, I suppose I am._

_ Well, _I thought, _maybe that will save my parents some time._

_ Maybe, _Jacob said.

I heard Jeremy's voice then, and I knew Liam's would soon follow.

_Go home Jake, _Jeremy thought. _I saw Cade watching out the window for you._

I literally felt Jacob's heart melt, and then heard Liam's voice.

_ Wow, I came in at a good time, _he thought. _That was awesome._

_ Did you get your homework done? _I asked him.

_Yeah,_ he thought. _But Quileute is a bitch._

_ Amen to that, _I thought. Jacob was already gone._ I'm starved, _I thought. _I'll catch you later._

After a few moments of focusing, I was back in my human form. I walked through my backyard, and was happy to see that my family had just sat down for a late dinner.

"Hi," I said as I came in.

"Hello," several people said back.

I washed my hands at the sink, and sat down for dinner. Considering the things that had happened in the last three days of my life, I was grateful for this one piece of normalcy.

The day was similar. After school, Nick and Liam came over so we could do our homework together. It took less time together, and it was way more fun. My mother invited Liam and his mother over for dinner, and they were able to come. I really liked Jackie. She was a lot like Ashley. Her sarcasm was completely good humored, and made me laugh like crazy. I said good bye to Liam, knowing I would see him again in only a few hours.

I went to sleep immediately after dinner, and slept like a baby until I my alarm went off at 11:50. I shook the sleep out of my eyes, and smiled as I realized I was going to meet Liam. I darted out the back door, and was stripped and changed in about two minutes.

_Hey,_ I thought. I immediately recognized Caleb and Matt's voices. A few seconds later, I heard Liam's voice.

_Wow, that never gets old, _Liam thought. _I can go so fast._

I could tell Caleb and Matt were laughing. _Be careful out here tonight,_ Caleb warned.

_You need to pay attention, protect the tribe, _Matt reminded.

_Of course, _I said.

_But you know, _Matt reminded. _Have a little fun._

Liam and I laughed, and then suddenly his voice was the only one I could hear. I started running the perimeter, letting Liam pick through my head, as I picked through his.

He was very simple minded, but bright. He noticed everything he passed, and analyzed it briefly. His thoughts bounced quickly between subjects, and I laughed. I could barely keep up with him.

_I'm thinking about you thinking about me thinking about you, _Liam suddenly thought coherently.

_This is pretty weird, _I concurred.

_Are you nervous about finals? _He asked me.

_Not really, _I told him. _They should be pretty simple._

_ I'm just worried we're going to have to miss too much class._

_ Well, _I told him. _There's three of us out here. I'm sure we'll be able to help each other out. And if not, we know the principle. We have a lot of people to turn to for help._

_ I've never had that before, _Liam thought. _I mean… It's always just been me and my mom. And she's had to work really hard so that we can even have a house. She won't take any money from the tribe. And she won't even tell me who my father is, so there's no way she's getting any child support. My grandfather died three days before I was born, and my grandmother passed away when I was two. I've never really had a family. And now I have so much family I don't even know what to do with all of you._

_ What's it like?_ I asked him. _Not having a dad?_

His thoughts were jumbled as he thought about his answer. _You know,_ he said. _I never even noticed that other kids had dads until I was about seven. And if I'm being truthful, I never even wanted a dad until I met you and didn't know what I was doing._ His thoughts were racing. _Jacob's been more of a father to me in the last week than any man ever has been._

I took a second to consider what he was thinking. _Well, _I thought. _Most of the men out here are fathers. Actually, all except Bryce and Nick are. And from what I've noticed, once you become a father to one kid, you become a father to them all._

_They seem more like big brothers to me. _He said. _It's not the same._

_ I won't pretend to understand, _I thought. _But who you are is not defined by who created you. You can fill the parts of yourself that are missing. _

_ I suppose, _he said. _But it'd be nice to know._

_ What does your mom say when you ask her?_

_ Depends on the day, _he thought. _Sometimes she tells me that someday I'll just know, and sometimes she tells me that it's better I don't know. I've just stopped asking._

_ That's kind of strange, _I thought. _Maybe someday you will just know._

_ I don't know how I could, _he thought.

The hours flew by with Liam. It wasn't long before he was walking me home. It was silent in La Push at three am. He gave me a hug, and told me he'd see me in a few hours. I was half asleep as I stumbled into bed, but I kept the memory of Liam's hug in my mind as I fell asleep.

The weeks leading up to Christmas flew by. I couldn't remember a time when I was happier. Liam made everything better. Even the week of finals where we hardly got any sleep, we both couldn't stop laughing. I almost fell asleep during the English final, but managed to finish and then crash for twenty minutes until the day was over. Liam half dragged me out of the classroom, and Nick got the kids home. I have no memories of how I got home that day. But I am suspicious that at some point, Liam started carrying me. All I know is that I woke up the next morning in my bed. My mother was worried sick that I wasn't getting enough sleep, but I knew I would manage.

Christmas Eve brought the Cullen's. I saw them pulling into Nessie's driveway as Liam and I were strolling around the neighborhood, and I convinced him to go over there. We walked up just as Connor was leading the way out of the car. All twelve of them piled out of the cars, and I saw Bella and Edward both wrap their arms around their daughter. Eila was already in Rosalie's arms, and Cade had jumped right into Zach's. It was a sight for sore eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

"Hey there strangers," I said, pulling Liam along behind me.

"Well look at you Ms. Jenny," Esme said. "You're a beautiful young woman."

"Thank-you," I said.

"And this must be Liam," Alice said, she reached out to shake his hand, and he only hesitated for an instant before grasping it. "You're a cutie," she said. "Way to go Jenny…"

My cheeks flushed, and I took a deep breath in through my nose. I gagged. "_Wow_," I said. "You guys smell terrible."

"I could say the same about the two of you," Jasper said immediately.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Jacob said. "I promise." Eila and Cade were now being half suffocated by their grandparents' tickles and kisses, and I remembered Jacob's memories of Bella as a human. Watching her hold her granddaughter, I could easily see the resemblance.

"Are you guys coming to the get together tonight?" Jacob asked us.

Liam and I looked at each other. "Well you see Jacob," Liam said. "Nobody tells us anything."

Jacob's smile fell. "Did I really not tell you about this?"

"Nope," we both said at the same time.

"Well," Jacob says. "I know your dad knows about it Jenny. And Liam, you tell your mother that if she's free, she's welcome."

"Can do," Liam said, and Jacob did a double take. "What?" Liam asked.

"Nothing," Jacob said. "You just sounded a lot like Seth."

That night, _everyone_ was at the big house. Even the Dapoli clan had come. They were just as excited as everyone else to be reunited with the Cullens. It was full, but familiar. The house was louder than ever, but I loved it that way. There was a mountain of food of course, and everyone was excited to see the Cullens. The stench I could live without, but I got to catch up with everyone at least. The Cullens had known me since the day I was born. Actually, Edward had delivered me. Now that I was older, and I was looking at him, I realized how young he had actually been frozen at. His boyish face masked the age in his eyes and actions. I was shocked to stand next to Andrea and realize that she had been bitten when she was my age, and to look at Alice, Julia, and Bella and realize they weren't much older. It really made me cherish the life I had.

We had decided not to do a gift exchange this year. We were giving gifts amongst our immediate families, but just enjoying each other's company tonight. It was already going on six o'clock by the time everyone had eaten, and the youngest kids only had about another hour and a half left in them. Liam and I were put on kid duty again. We got all ten of the sleepy, cranky toddlers upstairs into Brian's bedroom. He was the most willing to let the kids in, and the one with the tidiest room. These kids would sleep anywhere we put them, so we spread out a large blanket on the ground. Most of the kids laid right down and went to sleep, but some tossed and turned for a while. I cuddled with Liam while we waited for them to fall asleep, and I was ecstatic. His strong arms around my petite body were comfortable, and getting more and more familiar.

After the babies went to sleep, Liam and I went back downstairs. When the kindergarteners were sent to bed Nick went up with them. Zemati was getting tired around that time, so he had no problem with taking her up to sleep. Cade kissed every member of the Cullen family before he went to bed, and Jacob had to assure him twice that they would still be there when he woke up. It was adorable. The house quieted down as more children were sent up to sleep. Soon it was just the junior high schoolers left, and even they were getting tired around eleven o'clock. I was sent up to check on everyone at midnight, and I found Brandon, Alexis, Kristin, David, Allison, Joshua, Kelsey, Madison, Marcus, and Cole all spread out in a line of sorts. They each were resting their head on someone's stomach, and they all had someone's head on their stomach. They were at right angles to each other. The last person in the line, my brother Brandon, had some pillows under his head. All of them were sleeping peacefully. I had to hold back my laughter, but I was also impressed that they had managed to do that.

I explained to the adults how they were sleeping, and they all thought it was hilarious. At some point, wine had been poured, and suddenly the adults were much more relaxed. Nick, Liam and I got to have a good time with the Cullens and Dapolis as one by one the room got quieter as our parents drifted to sleep. Even Jackie, Liam's mom, was drifting on the couch.

"Do you guys normally spend the night here?" Emmett asked me sarcastically.

"This would be a first," I told him.

"Well," Jasper said. "I didn't pick up on that, and no one is going to be waking up until morning if I can help it."

Liam, Nick, and I awkwardly laughed. "Well," I said. "At least we're making memories."

I could feel my eyes drooping shut. "Thanks Jasper," I muttered. I curled up on Liam's shoulder, and escaped into dreamland.

The next morning was disorienting, but hilarious. God only knows what the Cullens and Dapolis had done while we were sleeping, but my whole family was headed back to the house by seven the next morning. Everyone had slept well considering how cramped we had all been on the couch, but we were all still laughing about it.

Christmas was nice. Liam and Jackie came over for Christmas dinner that night, and Jackie made probably the best apple pie I have ever tasted. Liam and I had patrol at ten the next morning, so we had plenty of time to sleep in. The good meal put me right to sleep, and I was awake by eight the next morning.

My life settled into a new normal for the next couple of months. Liam was perfect. In my eyes, he could do no wrong. All I ever really wanted to do was hang out with him. He made me laugh when I wanted to cry, but let me cry when I needed to. I really liked his mother. She was always very personable, and never made me feel awkward.

On the wolf front, things were relatively calm. I had once been running patrol with Jacob and we had found something that was unmistakably vampire. We followed the trail to the edge of the La Push border, but after consulting with the Cullens and the other wolves, we assumed it was a passerby. The Dapolis had noticed the smell too, but weren't concerned. We hadn't spelled the scent inside the border in about a month, and I had honestly put it in the back of my mind.

At the end of May, the last day of school actually, Liam and I had patrol together. This afternoon, the Cullens were returning for an extended stay. They had finished up High School yesterday, and were on the plane now. I couldn't wait for the fun that would ensue with all of them here. Liam walked me home, and since we had been released early, I invited him to stay for lunch. My brothers and sisters had gone over to Leah's for the afternoon, so it was just Liam and I. We wouldn't be here alone for long, just so we had enough time to eat. I was busy stirring some pasta sauce, and he was looking for salad.

"You know Jenny," he said. "I'm quite fond of you."

"You know Liam," I said, mocking him. "I'm sure glad for that, because otherwise, this would be pretty awkward."

Suddenly, Liam grabbed me from behind and spun me around. He gently put his lips on mine, and I my reaction was as natural as a flower blossoming. I pulled away slowly. "Well," I said. "Talk about a first kiss…"

Liam put his lips on mine again, and suddenly his body was pressed against mine. I had never kissed anyone before, but I felt so comfortable that it wasn't awkward at all. My hands automatically curled into Liam's hair, and he kept his arms around me. I finally pulled away for the sake of the pasta sauce.

"Jenny," Liam said. "I love you."

I stirred the sauce and then turned to look at him. "I love you too," I told him. "I think I always have. And I know I always will."

Liam laughed. "I've had a crush on you since first grade."

I chuckled. "Well that works out nicely. I've had a crush on you since we were three. You shared your crayons with me in Pre-K."

"I know," Liam said. "You've never been like the other girls. You're mature, and wise. I find that very attractive."

"I find you in general to be very attractive," I said with a laugh.

He chuckled. "I suppose we better eat and then get out there," he said with a shake of his head.

We scarfed down our noodles, and then put just enough trees in between us so that we could change.

_Hey there sophomores,_ Wyatt immediately thought.

_Whadup,_ I said as nonchalantly as possible, doing my best not to think about the kiss.

_I'm going home, _Wyatt thought. _I want to see my baby._

_ Enjoy, _Liam thought.

Liam and I stuck together for this patrol. We ran the border as a pair. I couldn't help but notice that all he could think about was the kiss, and that's all I was capable of thinking about as well. I kept replaying his words over in my head. I love you, I love you, I love you.

_I love you,_ Liam thought as we got to the eastern most point of the border. Our shift had to be over any minute now…

Suddenly, everything changed.

I felt a blow from my right side, and I could no longer see Liam. There was a hissing noise in my ear, and I gagged as I smelled the vampire. She had her arms around me, squeezing, and breaking…

I fought back.

With everything I had, I fought back. I snapped, and growled, and barked, and howled my way out of her arms. I turned to face her, and winced as I felt my bones healing. She was a beautiful brunette, and her eyes were a deep red. She hissed as she came at me again, and was winning before I even had a chance.

Suddenly, there were two more voices in my head, and I immediately heard a loud howl go up. The others were coming.

_Fight Jenny, fight, _I heard Caleb demand.

_Don't quit Liam, I'm not leaving you out here, _Nathan insisted.

Liam.

I would not lose him. I had to help him. But she was holding me so tight, and everything was going so fast. She was breaking me, and I screamed as my right arm snapped. I howled in pain, but managed to get her off of me again.

She never even saw them coming.

Caleb and Nathan were shredding her before she even knew what was happening. I heard pounding feet, and saw Jai, Sanjiv, and Mayur appear. There were other vampires I hadn't even noticed. They immediately attacked the Dapolis, but it was a losing battle once Selena and Kahini arrived. I was looking for Liam the entire time. I couldn't see him, and his voice wasn't in my head anymore.

_Liam, Liam, Liam_ I thought, panicking.

_Got him,_ Jacob thought immediately.

I found the great russet colored wolf, and sprinted to him, tripping and falling over my broken bones, howling, and screaming the whole way. In my peripheral vision, I saw the burning piles.

I took one look at Liam, and I fell next to him. I could barely breathe. He was a mess, and barely twitching. I could see the bones sticking out of his skin, and I screamed for him. I was shifting back, and it hurt so bad I couldn't see. Liam, Liam, Liam, I thought. "Liam," I spat out between my screams. I tried to sit, to see him, to find him. It would stop hurting if I could find him.

There were cool hands on my body, and I was flying. I couldn't tell what was blood, sweat, and tears on my body, but I didn't care. I just wanted Liam. I realized when they put me on a bed, but I didn't know where I was. I could hear Liam screaming now, and I cried for him.

"Jenny," I heard someone calling my name. "Aw Jenny, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…"

I opened my eyes and through the blinding pain I saw Nick. He had his hands on my shoulders, and I realized he was holding me down. Dan was at my legs, and the other people in the room I couldn't distinguish. I heard quick footsteps at the door, and I smelled Edward and Bella Cullen. "Alright Jen," Bella said. "Here we go…"

I heard my bones rebreaking before I felt them. I screamed and I cried, but it was over fast. Nick stayed with me the whole time, doing his best to comfort me.

"Liam," I said again as I heard his screams. I cried a helpless, broken, sob. "Liam."

"He's going to be okay," Nick said. "I promise."

I heard the screech of tires, and immediately recognized my mother and father's voices, and heard a panicked Jackie asking my mother something.

I heard the door open, and Jai say calmly "They're going to be alright."

I could see them through the open door. My father looked like he was fighting to stay calm, and my mother's face was terrified. Liam's mother looked dead, like she had put up walls. I heard Liam moan, and Carlisle Cullen talking quickly and quietly. I tried to roll over and gave a half-hearted yell as I felt how broken I was.

My parents both turned to look at me, and I saw my mom's face break. Amari stood in front of the door. "I can't let you in there," she said. "Not yet."

My mother crashed into my father's body and he held her. I felt guilty for hurting them like this, but mostly I just felt pain. I heard a moan from Liam again, and my mother reached out and held Jackie's hand. I cried, and Nick wiped the tears off my eyes. "Liam," I said. "I want to see him."

"You will," Nick said. "But you have to heal more first."

Bella came out of the room that Liam was in. "They're going to be okay," she said immediately. "They both had a lot of broken bones that we had to rebreak, but it's all healing now." I looked down at myself then, and realized that somehow, someone had put a sports bra on me. It seemed stupid, but I was more grateful for that than I thought I would be.

I heard Bella telling my parents what had happened, but I was exhausted, and drifting to sleep. "Liam…" I said again. Nick awkwardly brushed my hair with his hand. It could have been a few minutes, or a few hours, but soon there were cold hands on me, and I gagged at the smell.

"How are you feeling baby?" Bella asked me.

I winced as I took in a deep breath. "Pretty bad…" I said. The tears started to leak out again. "Where's Liam?"

"He's right across the hall," Bella told me. Jacob was standing at the foot of my bed, looking down at me. I saw Dan and Caleb in the corner, and heard the others in the hall.

"I'm so sorry Jenny," Jacob told me. My tears were soft, and gentle, but the shaking hurt me even more. I groaned, and Bella wiped the tears off of my face with hands gentle as feathers.

"I need Liam," I told him.

"I know Jen," he said. "And I promise, as soon as one of you can move, I'll get you there."

"Is he hurt?" I asked.

"Yeah, he is," Jacob said. "But he's getting better just as fast as you are."

I bit my lip trying to hold back the tears. It hurt me more to know that he was in pain than the broken bones did. "It's okay to cry sweetie," Bella said. "It'll feel better to let it out."

"It hurts," I said.

"I know," she told me. She paused, and slowly brushed my hair, in the way only a mother knows how to do. "You're parents are here," she told me. "And they sure would like to see you."

"Let them in," I said. "It will be better that way."

Jacob was already at the door, and they were waiting outside. I closed my eyes as they were coming in, but felt when they were near. I opened my red, swollen eyes.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey," my mom said, and I could hear that she had been crying. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I said, trying to make her feel better. "I'm getting better fast."

She knelt down by my head, and my dad took up the place that Nick had been in until this moment. "I'm so sorry," he said.

I sniffed. "It's not your fault," I said. "It's not anyone but those stupid vampires' faults. And they got what they deserved."

"I'm still sorry," he said. "Sorry that you have to go through this."

"I'm glad for it," I said. "This is who I am."

Neither of them said anything to that. I flinched, and winced, biting back any other noise. They didn't need that. My mother brushed my hair back, just like Bella had a few minutes previous. There was a knock on the already open door, and I could smell Carlisle. "Hi there," Carlisle said.

"Hi," I said quietly. My bones felt like they were vibrating from when I had flinched earlier. It was horrible.

Carlisle took a look at me. "Well," he said. "You look terrible."

"Thanks," I told him. He knelt down close to my legs, and then got close to my ribs. "Please don't touch them," I pleaded.

"I won't," he said. "I was just making sure they were healing straight."

"Are they?" My mother asked.

"Yes," he said. "How are you feeling?" He looked at me.

"Okay," I said. He gave me a look. I blinked, trying not to think about my parents. "Awful," I said with a correction.

"Good," he said. "Then you're healing."

"I want to see Liam," I said.

"I know," he said. "But I finally got him to go to sleep. And that's going to help the healing a lot."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Carlisle said. "His injuries were a lot worse than yours were, but he's healing just as well as you."

One tear dripped from my eyes, and my mom gently wiped it off. "I'm just really worried about him."

"I know," Carlisle said. "He's been freaking out about you for the last hour too."

In my head I was smiling, but outwardly, all I could feel was my vibrating bones. I winced. "He's asleep?" I confirmed.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "And I want you to sleep too."

Some part of me was fighting to stay awake, but I was so tired. Staying awake wouldn't do any good anyways…

I woke up because of the pain. I moaned as I naturally tried to move, and winced, holding my breath. It was pitch black in the room, and even with my strong eyes I couldn't make out much. I heard a groan, and it cut me to the core.

"Liam…" I said.

I flinched, and started to cry. It had to be getting better…

The door opened, and suddenly the room was bathed in light. I saw Nick's silhouette, and he turned on the dim lamp by the door.

"It's alright Jenny," he said. "I'm here."

He sat down in the chair next to my bed, and I tried to breathe without crying. I felt like my ribs had been crushed.

I took in a shallow breath. "How many bones were broken?" I asked him quickly, biting my lip so I didn't cry.

"A lot," he said. "They lost count. But your ribs were the worst. The one was broken in four places. Three were cracked. Two were broken."

"I can believe that…" I said. I winced, and I knew I was grimacing.

"I'm so sorry Jenny," Nick said.

My breathing was ragged. "It didn't hurt this bad before."

"You have a morphine drip," Nick said. "They're working you off of it fast, because you're healing fast."

"Not fast enough," I spat out.

"I know," Nick said. "But you really are getting better."

"No offense," I said. "But I want Liam."

Nick laughed, but it was dry. "If Carlisle gives the okay, and you're willing to try, we'll get you over there. But he was in worse shape than you, so he is nowhere near ready to move."

That hurt me worse than my ribs did.

"I give the okay," Carlisle said from the doorway. "But this is going to hurt."

I considered, but I knew I needed to see Liam. "Okay," I said.

"We'll go slow," Carlisle said comfortingly.

He slowly slid his arm under me, and I braced myself. "Let's go," I said.

He picked me up, and I couldn't breathe. It hurt to think. It hurt to exist.

In the next second, I was being laid on a bed.

I was breathing hard, and couldn't even manage to open my eyes. There was a body next to me, and I knew.

"Jenny," he said.

"Liam," I said breathlessly. My rib cage was still on fire, but I was so much better now.

My IV was next to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked Liam as soon as I could breathe.

"No," he said.

"Me neither," I said.

"I've been really worried about you," he said, and then winced.

I held my breath as his movement shifted the bed slightly, and tried not to cry out. "I know," I told him. "I've been freaking out."

"I meant what I said earlier," he muttered. "I do love you."

"I know," I said. "I love you too."

We laid there for a long time. My parents came back to visit us, his mother visited us. The other wolves made an appearance at some point. It was all kind of a blur. At some point, I realized I was starting to feel better. In the middle of the night, when there were no visitors, Liam and I were both lying awake.

"Jenny," he whispered.

"Yeah?" I said.

"My mom told me who my dad is."

I shifted slightly to face him, thankful for the manageable amount of pain. "When?" I asked.

"Right after I got here," he said. "When you were with your parents."

"Oh," I said.

"My father is Harry Clearwater," he said suddenly, and I could hear the shock still in his voice.

I just laid there, taking it all in. Harry had had an affair before he died. Liam was a half-brother to Leah and Seth.

"Sue knows," Liam said. "She knew even before he died. My mom talked to her right after I changed. She doesn't blame my mom, but my mom blames herself. She was so young… she didn't know how to turn him away."

"Wow," I said. "And how are you taking this?"

He took a while to think about it. "Well," he said. "At first I was just glad to know. It doesn't make me respect my mother any less. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for her." He paused, thinking. "If you want the truth," he started. "I look at Seth, and I realize that he raised Seth to be the man he is. And I look at Leah and realize that he is in her too. And they are both fantastic people. So just because we share a father that was less than perfect doesn't mean that any of us are going to end up making the mistakes he did. Who created us doesn't define who we are."

I laid there for a while. "Do Leah and Seth know?" I asked finally.

"Apparently, Sue had a meeting with them last night. Neither of them have been in yet. I think they probably just need some time."

I thought some more. "Are you guys going to tell the others?"

"My mom thinks Seth is going to do it tomorrow. He told his mom he would tell everyone as long as my mom and I were alright with it."

"And are you alright with it?" I asked.

"I am," Liam told me. "I'm proud to be part of this family."

I slowly reached out and gently held his hand. "I'm glad you're here," I said. "We all are. No matter who your father is. We don't judge too much."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did though," Liam said.

"I won't," Jenny said. "Ever."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Liam and I slept a little, and talked a lot. We both dozed, and Carlisle or Edward or Bella came into check on us every thirty minutes or so. We were both feeling a lot better by noon the next day, and we were starving.

"How are your legs?" Carlisle asked me.

"Alright," I said.

"Can you move them?"

I gingerly flexed my muscles, and bent my knees. "Yes," I said.

"Then I want you to try and walk to the living room."

I gave him a hesitant look. "I'll help you stand up," he said. "And I won't let you fall."

I sighed, and my ribs ached. "Alright," I said.

He literally picked me up and set me on my feet. I braced myself and tried not to fall over. My core muscles were so sore though, I could hardly keep my balance. He kept his two hands on my arms, and held me steady. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Weak," I said. "But I can make it."

I was sore, and slow, but I eventually made it to the couch. He reclined the seat for me, and then set me in it. My ribs hurt, but I could feel them healing. Liam tried to walk as well, but only made it about half way. Carlisle was still impressed though.

"You guys have got a whole lot of company coming over," Edward said.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Well," I said. "I'm sure I've looked worse."

"You look great," Liam said. "No worries."

"Ha," I said. "You have to say that."

"This is true," Liam said. Edward brought us each a plate of food a few minutes later. It was all soft foods, but they were great. As we were finishing up, I heard car doors slamming outside, and lots of voices. My mom had brought a shirt and some shorts for me last night, so at least I was clothed. The door opened, and my whole family started filing in. Everyone was talking to each other quietly, even the kids weren't being as loud as they normally were.

"Hey," Leah said to us as she came around the corner.

"Hi," we both said at the same time.

"Feeling any better?" Joel asked us.

"Yes," we both said.

"That's good," Leah said. My sister Allison came around the corner then.

"Hey," she said. She had a hairbrush in her hand. "I thought you might want this."

"Yeah," I said. "I actually do."

She came over and brushed all my hair out. She let it fall to its natural part, and brushed it back. I felt better immediately.

"Thanks Al," I said.

"Mhm." She was already off talking to Kristen at that point.

The adults already knew that we were having a meeting of sorts. Jacob didn't know what it was about yet, but he had been in charge of getting everyone here so we could all find out the news together.

The older kids were standing in the doorways or by their parents. The littles were off playing already. Nick was sitting next to me on the couch, and Seth was next to him. Shy little Aubrey was huddled on his shoulder, but smiled and waggled her fingers at Liam.

"So," Seth said. "Yesterday I found out some news about my dad that was really surprising to me. But before I tell you, we all need to remember that we are a family, and we don't judge each other." Seth raised his eyebrows, and a few people nodded. "My father had an affair before he died." The silence was deafening. I noticed that Sue wasn't there, she must have chosen to stay home with Charlie. "And my mom knew about it," Seth said. "But he passed away before anything could come of it."

Seth was rubbing Aubrey's back absent mindedly. "Now," Seth said. "The girl he had an affair with was Jackie. And my dad is Liam's father." The silence intensified by a tenfold. Jackie was staring at the ground, and Leah was holding her hand. There were several moments of absolute silence.

"Jackie," Seth said. "If my mom can forgive you, and I can forgive you, and Leah can forgive you, I think it's okay if you forgive yourself."

Jackie met his eyes finally. "I'm working on that," she said. She shook her head. "I thought for sure someone would figure it out. When Liam changed, and I started talking to you," she looked at Jacob. "I thought for sure you would figure it out. And then…" her voice broke. "I met Seth for the first time, and he looked so much like him, and he looked so much like Liam, I didn't know how I would keep it a secret." She blinked back her tears. "And so I decided to tell Sue. And to find out she knew all along… It was a relief."

"The first time I met Liam," Leah said. "I did a double take, because he could almost be an identical twin to Seth when he was fifteen. But I could never have jumped to the conclusion," she said. "Because no one thinks about the impossible."

"Right," Jackie said. "Impossible."

"Well," Jacob finally said a few moments later. "That explains why I keep wanting to call Liam Seth."

Caleb laughed. "You got that right. Look at the two of them."

Everyone was staring at them now. "They both look just like my dad," Leah said.

"Maybe that's why Aubrey doesn't freak out around Liam," Abbey said

"I Aubrey," Aubrey said, completely oblivious to the drama that was going on.

Everyone laughed. "You are," Seth said. "Does Liam look like daddy?"

"Yeah," she said, very confidently.

Everyone laughed again. "On another note," Jared said. "How are you two feeling?"

"Eh," Liam said. "I've been better. But I've been a lot worse."

"Agreed," I said immediately.

"What even happened?" Nessie asked.

"We're not entirely sure," Jacob said. "But we're pretty sure that those vampires had been waiting a long time for Jenny and Liam to run out there. They were the same vampires that we caught scent of a few months ago. I thought they were just passing through. But maybe they felt threatened or something…"

"How old were they?" Carlisle asked.

Jacob shrugged. "I couldn't tell you."

"How did they attack?" Edward asked me. I went back to that moment, considering what he was asking. "Got it," he said. I smiled. I forgot about the mind reading thing. "They were young," he told Carlisle. "Probably newborns without any guidance."

Carlisle sighed. "That's senseless," he said. "They probably were trying to claim the territory."

"Likely," Edward said.

"They didn't even have a chance after the rest of us got there," Jacob said. "They barely stood a chance with just Liam and Jenny. You two fought hard."

I nodded. "Someone was telling me to," I said, unable to remember who it was.

"That was me," Caleb said.

"Oh," I said. "Good reminder. I couldn't figure out what was going on."

Caleb chuckled. "Well I'm glad everything worked out."

"We'd be dead if we had gotten there five minutes earlier," Liam said. "We barely fought them off long enough for you to get there."

"I try not to think about it," Jackie said.

"I freaked out when I heard the howls," my dad said. "And I really freaked out when I saw your number on my cell phone."

"I was fighting the urge to shift," Quil said. "If we're being honest."

"Me too," Leah said. "I was at the door before I reminded myself to stay home."

"It doesn't surprise me," Jacob said.

It wasn't long before everyone broke off into smaller conversations. It was the first sunny day all summer in Forks, and I was happy that Liam and I had gotten out of that bedroom.

It was a long road of recovery, but I was home three days later. It was another two weeks before either Liam or I ran patrol, and another three before we ran it together. We were both a little nervous when we got to where the attack had happened, but we knew we had to protect our tribe. When we finished our patrol, we shifted and decided to go for a run together.

When we reached the cliff edge we had hiked to our whole lives, we stopped and hung our legs over the edge. The sky was cloudy, but the sun kept trying to peek out. It was beautiful on the water.

"I love this place," I said.

"Me too," he agreed.

Life was hard. It was a dark, sad, lonely place to not have someone to share it with. But as it goes on, I've come to learn that when you find that person, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what happens to you before you find them, or what happens after. If you've got that one person, and you know who you are, you are invincible.

"I love you Jenny," he said.

"I love you too."

**THE END**


End file.
